Letters to the Editor

May 15, 2015

Opinion

Renting High School property

To the Editor:

It shouldn’t surprise me, but it does, to hear that the School Board was again considering renting the high school property to another outside organization (Ventura County Wolfpack) when there are other football fields in the county! Why would the High School even CONSIDER renting to ANOTHER outside organization when the neighbors surrounding the school have been protesting the negative impact that causes on our neighborhoods and homes for the past 2 years? Let’s just pour salt on the open wounds AGAIN while we continue to wait (for how much longer?) for the absolutely ridiculous amount of time (it’s been 2 years now!) with delay after delay (first the construction then the Traffic Study that’s going to be done during the OFF SEASON or wait, is it actually going to be done DURING SUMMER BREAK WHEN THE SCHOOL ISN’T EVEN IN SESSION?!!!!!). Renting the High School to ANY OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION is creating an UNNECESSARY NUISANCE that robs the neighbors of our right to enjoy our properties and NEEDS TO STOP! Another display of the School Leadership’s lack of consideration for the negative impact they are having on the neighborhoods around them and exercising poor judgment! Poor modelling for our youth as well since you are clearly showing that you do NOT care how your choices/actions are negatively impacting the people around you!

So Mr. Gamino, you said at RFL that you hoped I could see that you are genuinely trying. I reflected to you that after our meeting with the Principal I was more hopeful and had stepped back to give the school a chance to show their true position. Again, apparently EMPTY WORDS of trying to be a GOOD NEIGHBOR since a Good Neighbor wouldn’t even CONSIDER adding ANOTHER OPTIONAL AGGRAVATION (since there are other football fields in Ventura County) on the neighborhoods! As I have said, numerous times, ACTIONS tell the true intentions, WORDS are cheap! It appears that my cautiousness to trust has been validated.

If the school continues to rent to outside organizations then the LEAST they could do would be to SUPPORT the neighbors in their request for the City Council to implement a Parking District to alleviate SOME of the negative impact on our quality of life!

Very sad that there appears to be a total lack of consideration or respect for our right to enjoy our homes and property since you continue to slap us in the face with just ANOTHER event that is NOT A SANTA PAULA SCHOOL FUNCTION!

Lois Zsarnay

Santa Paula

Supporting

decision regarding sports programs

To the Editor:

We would like to express our support of the SPUSD’s decision to keep the sports programs at Santa Paula High School for the students of SPHS.

As parents whose children have been on SPHS teams in the past, the present, and the future, we think that the Executive Board made the right decision.

The sports teams represent the high school and should be made up of students at the high school or they are no longer SPHS teams. These are not “community” teams. When parents decide that they would prefer their child to attend a very small private school without sports programs, then that is the decision they have made. They shouldn’t expect the larger public schools with more programs, to push other students aside to accommodate their children. If one of our own children was denied a spot on a team, or was assigned to the “second” team, because there were private school students on the team, you can bet that the District would hear from us. Those families chose not to send their children to SPHS. The sports teams are for the children whose families support the high school. If these parents want their children to play for SPHS teams then why don’t they have their children attend Santa Paula High School?

Families who choose not to send their children to our local public high school have choices. There are many non-school sports leagues available in the County. There are also other private high schools with sports programs. They even have the choice of enrolling their student at SPHS if sports are that important to them.

Ralph and Cathy Fernandez

Santa Paula

Big thanks to Santa Paula America in Bloom

To the Editor:

Our thanks and admiration to the city of Santa Paula for its efforts in the America in Bloom awards program. Special thanks to Dianne and Dudley Davis and Gary Nasalroad for the fascinating tour and meetings with your remarkable officials, residents, and volunteers who spent time with us on May 7 and 8 to showcase all the reasons Santa Paula has to be proud.

America in Bloom envisions communities as welcoming and vibrant places to live, work, and play – benefitting from colorful plants and trees; enjoying clean environments; celebrating heritage; and planting pride through volunteerism.

America in Bloom is more than flowers. Your judges evaluated your efforts in the four pillars that make cities great – horticulture, heritage, environment, and community involvement in the residential, commercial and municipal sectors. We will provide a written evaluation on September 27. We welcome everyone to attend our symposium and awards, held in Holland, Michigan on September 24-26.